


Gilded Cage

by firewolfsg



Category: Weiß Kreuz
Genre: Abusive Relationship, Bondage, Dark, Friendship/Love, M/M, Stockholm Syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-09
Updated: 2013-02-09
Packaged: 2017-11-28 18:00:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/677258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firewolfsg/pseuds/firewolfsg
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What is the truth behind Ran's startling relationship with Schwarz?</p><p>Written May 2002</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Entrapment

A gasping moan of pain whispered beside Crawford's ear as he furiously thrust into the pale body beneath him. Chains clinked overhead as struggling hands reached to grip the lengths that secured them to the bed head. Crawford pushed himself up to tower over his little slave, liking what he looked upon. The street lamps outside the window cast lines of light over them past the vertical blinds covering the windows, framing the suffering form of Schwarz's former enemy in an impression of a gilded cage.

"Br-- Master, o-- o--negai--"

He could have reprimanded his little slave on the lapse, but he decided to be generous. It was caught in time and Crawford really couldn't fault the man for momentarily forgetting. It was hard to concentrate when you had someone fucking your brains out.

"O--ne--gai-- hurts..."

"Shhhh, Precious." He eased up slightly on his rhythm. "It'll feel good soon. You have to relax, remember? Have I ever left you unsatisfied?"

Tear filled amethyst eyes, gazed up at him in trust. "N-- no, Master--"

#Crawford, give him a break, the kätzchen's going to faint from the pain if you don't ease up. You were a bit too enthusiastic with the paddle tonight.#

Crawford bent to kiss and sip at the tears rolling down Ran's pale cheeks. As suggested, he made his rhythm gentler. "Shhh, don't tense up. It hurts worse when you don't relax. Just feel, Precious." He reached down to stroke the quickly hardening length trapped between their bodies. /Concern for our little toy, Schuldig? It doesn't seem like you./

#The next time you want to spend so long beating the shit out of him, I get first dibs. See how much *you* enjoy fucking an unconscious body. I like him awake and screaming when I take him.# The German pouted at him as he reached over to stroke Ran's blood red hair and spread it a little more over the black satin covered pillow. They loved looking upon the contrasts of his hair and skin against black satin. It brought a smile to his face to see their red-haired toy turn to nuzzle against his hand.

/And here I thought you appreciated following after me so that you could claim responsibility for bringing our sex kitten to orgasm. His body still responds when he's unconsciousness./ Crawford's mouth and tongue kept busy, nibbling and licking the pale neck and throat of the responsive man beneath him. The moans were slowly changing in sentiment to pleasure. "See, Precious. Don't I always make you feel so good?"

"Master." Ran gasped as he arched into the punishing teeth. "So-- good-- to me."

Schuldig purred as he grabbed Ran by the hair and turned his face so that he could plunder the sweet depths of his mouth. #I prefer him awake enough to thank us for the torture and rape.#

"Always, Precious. You're always so precious to us." Crawford looked up at his German colleague and smirked. /We have him well trained, haven't we?/

*~*~*~*~*

Psychologists named it the Stockholm syndrome. They coined the term in the early 70s to describe the puzzling reactions of four bank employees, who were hostages to convicts who had held up one of the largest banks in Stockholm. If there were ever a poster child for this unusual behaviour, Ran could have been a perfect candidate. Youji couldn't believe the apparent ease he was currently displaying with the man who Weiß knew kidnapped, and from evidence they'd received, brutally raped him. His mind reeled to wonder what could have possibly happened over Ran's eight months of captivity to make him appear so-- happy to be with his captors.

Youji had been very lucky to accidentally spot them amidst the crowd of partiers that turned out to enjoy the cherry blossom festival. However, despite ditching his date, he was still having a devil of a time keeping an eye on the couple as they rapidly disappeared into the crush of people.

/It isn't fair!/ Youji cursed softly to himself as he tried to unobtrusively hurry after them. He seethed inwardly to remember the bright smile on the redhead's face as he looked up at his taller companion. In all the three years Fujimiya Aya/Ran had worked with Weiß, Youji could count on the fingers of one hand the number of occasions when the stoic younger man had so much as cracked a tiny smile of amusement in their presence. Yet in the space of the five minutes he had been tailing the couple, Youji saw the same man smile openly and even outright laugh at something the bespectacled bastard had whispered to him. It was-- inconceivable for Ran to be that-- that 'cheerful' with the rapists who kidnapped him from Weiß at the conclusion of a mission.

They had been searching for Ran all those long months, fearing the worse after receiving a set of audiotapes the morning after his abduction. Weeks of silence followed the tapes before they received one mocking phone call from Schwarz warning them against ever contacting their redhead teammate again. After that, it was as if Schwarz had dropped off the face of the earth with their friend. The only assurance Weiß and Kritiker had that Schwarz were still in Tokyo was the underworld buzz, which told of the assassin team's presence in the forging of a new gangland order in SZ's ashes. Of their redhead friend, they had no further news.

/Kami-sama, what did they do to you, Ra--?/ Something hard and unyielding poked Youji in the side and a seemingly casual arm draped over his shoulders to stop him from pursuing the two men.

#Kudou, we warned you about approaching our kitten.# The nasal German accented drawl was unmistakable.

"*Your* kitten?" Youji hissed angrily, but had the presence of mind not to put up a hint of a struggle. "When did you have the righ--"

The silencer tipped gun was shoved into his side harder. #When it took us two months to put him back together again after Weiß shattered him, Kudo...#

"What?! What do you mean *we* shatt--?"

#The kitten was already in bad shape *before* we got our hands on him.# Schuldig cut him off as he unobtrusively started to pull Youji away from the crowd.

"What?!" A flash of memory hit him. Youji's head swam. He couldn't believe what the German was saying. All those weeks ago before his kidnapping, he, Ken and Omi were concerned about Ran. They knew he hadn't taken his sister's death from a road accident very well, but they hadn't realised it was quite that bad...

Schuldig turned the Weiß blond around to glare at him balefully. #Another couple of weeks and he would have died of neglect under your very noses.#

"We would never-- We were watching him, you bastard!" Youji didn't care that the people around them could hear him yelling at the Schwarz Garman. "Until you and your fuck buddy decided to kidna--"

Schuldig quickly pulled Youji from the crowd and into a secluded grove. "Watching him?" He hissed angrily. "Did it never occur to you that you could have acted sooner? Gott! We thought he'd die!"

"And it was never your intention to kill him?" Youji snarled at him angrily. "We far from received any assurance from you that you wanted him for any more then to be a toy to rape and torture."

At this, Schuldig looked a little rueful and embarrassed. "Believe me, Balinese. We hadn't intended to keep him for more than a couple of weeks. It just-- turned out that way..." But his expression turned hard again as he pinned his gaze at the Weiß blonde. "He's ours now Weiß. Ours to hold and protect from you!"

Youji shook his head in disbelief. "Protect him from *us*? What the hell have you been smoki--?!"

Schuldig eyed him appraisingly. "You really don't know what you did to him, do you?"

"*You* raped--"

"We saved his life!" Schuldig told him coldly. "The man was sick, malnourished, dehydrated, mentally *and* physically exhausted... And this happened to him under your watch, Weiß. The doctor said this neglect must have been going on for over a month. Any longer and he could have damaged his internal organs beyond his body's ability to recover without being chained to pills and medication for the rest of his life."

"What?!" /Kami-sama.../ That span of time. It was about right if he counted all the weeks after the accident Ran had spent visiting the hospital before his sister eventually died. Added to that the weeks he spent brooding following her death... They hadn't realised it was *that* bad. His clothes must have hidden his thinness too well. He had been so bent on pushing them away and wallowing in his own misery--

"You actually left him alone because he wanted you to?" The German snorted at him in disgust. "You never gave a thought that *you*, his *family*, should have pushed the issue and been more forceful to make sure he didn't succeed in doing himself permanent injury?"

The infuriating accusation was enough to shake Youji out of his guilt to glare at Schuldig sceptically. The Schwarz German had the grace to flush in guilt at the un-worded challenge. "Damn it. Yes, we-- We wanted-- we pushed him on other issues-- It changed. That's all. The situation changed when we realised..."

"You could have left him to us--"

"To finish him off?" Schuldig had the speed to duck the wild blow Youji launched at him for those words. "Admit it Kudo, you wouldn't have had the backbone to do *anything* for him. He would have fought you tooth and nail, and you would have let him continue to ignore his health until it was too late!"

"No! That's a lie!"

"Is it?" To Youji's utter surprise, Schuldig holstered his gun and breathed out a deep and tired sigh. "Let it go, Weiß. Fujimiya is safe and contented where he is. Schwarz is his family now and we protect our own."

"After listening to those tapes..." Youji growled at him angrily, "You want us to trust you? Leave our friend in your care? Why should we?"

At this, Schuldig snorted in sardonic laughter. "Lets just say we awakened to hitherto unknown needs within ourselves when we started fucking him. For all we know-- you and Hidaka might have formed the same kind of bond with him if you'd forced the issue yourselves."

"If we'd-- Bastard!"

This time Schuldig caught the fist that Youji shot at him and used it to twist his arm cruelly behind his back. "This is our final warning, Weiß." The German whispered into his ear. "Back off or next time we won't be so merciful."

In the next moment, Youji found himself alone again with no idea where the German had disappeared. "Ran..."

He didn't-- couldn't bring himself to trust the Schwarz bastard. There was still no closure for Weiß with this conversation. Ran-- The tapes they had received were heart-wrenching evidence of Ran's brutal first night as Schwarz's prisoner. It was inconceivable to think that Ran could have fallen in love with his rapists.

Youji swore to keep up the search for their redhead team-mate. After having failed Ran once-- no-- evidently twice now, they weren't going to fail him a third time by letting this go. They owed it to Ran to free him and they were going to keep looking for him for as long as it took.

*~*~*~*~*

Nagi started awake just as a familiar figure was tucking him into bed. "Hn. You could have slept on, Nagi. You looked like you needed it."

"Ran-kun?" The Japanese boy was mesmerised by the redhead who was kneeling beside his bed. Ran had not yet closed the blinds in his room, and from where he sat the vertical strips of light were cast upon the redhead like-- gilded bars.

The figure nodded. "You were probably studying too hard." A gentle hand tousled his hair fondly. "I found you asleep over your books. Go back and nap, I'll call you when dinner's ready."

Nagi shot out a hand to catch Ran's sleeve before he could approach the window to adjust the vertical blinds. "Ran-kun? Why--" He hesitated, Crawford and Schuldig were adamant about their never questioning the Weiß redhead's inclusion into their ranks. Though he deeply appreciated Ran having joined them, Nagi was still very disturbed about the situation. "I'm-- glad you're here, but-- We-- were enemies for so long. Why do you take care of us now?"

Ran looked at him sadly. "Perhaps-- I had-- thought-- You took care of me while I was sick, Nagi. I--" He moved towards the blinds and twisted the rod which would cause the long strips to close and block out the afternoon sun. "You probably showed me--" His lips quirked a little sheepishly in admission, "Well-- more like forced on me more attention and consideration than I ever received before I was-- brought here... You want me around."

Nagi clamped his mouth shut before he said something about the first few days of Ran's stay with them. The man had been lost in fevered dreams during that first week. They had even been afraid that he would die. With his slow recovery, it was clear to them that Ran didn't remember anything of how he had come to be brought to the Schwarz safe house. They had let him believe that they picked him up off the streets after he wandered away from Weiß at the successful conclusion of their last mission.

"Do you-- miss them?"

"They-- don't want me." He looked sad, but gave Nagi a small smile as he reached over to brush his bangs out of his eyes. "Besides, I seem to have a place here without ever needing to kill again."

"And-- Crawford and Schuldig are-- treating you well?"

Ran blushed and would have snapped at Nagi for suddenly teasing him if he didn't see the seriousness of his expression. "Hai, they--" He blinked, frowning slightly as if suddenly giving their relationship a thorough contemplation for the first time. "They are good to me."

Nagi almost, but didn't growl at the incongruity of the statement. He was well aware of the numerous bruises and scars that Ran hid under his long sleeves and all concealing clothing. The Japanese boy was deeply concerned that Crawford and Schuldig never seemed to care to wait until the damage they did to him healed first before engaging in more of their-- 'games'.

"Are you--" He glanced nervously towards the door. He really wanted to ask something, but-- if he did, he was quite sure Crawford and Schuldig would be very angry with him.

Ran gave the boy a reassuring smile and a blush as he pressed Nagi to get back under his blankets. "What ever it is you think you hear at night, it's just playing, Nagi. There's never any permanent damage and they make sure I enjoy it."

Nagi tried not to look sceptical. "Sometimes-- you sound--"

"I'll talk to Crawford about giving me a gag the next time we get rough." He interrupted firmly and leaned over to tuck Nagi in again. "I am happy, Nagi. I have a home here where I never had one before.

"Take a nap, you do look like you need it. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

At the soft click of the door closing behind the redhead, Nagi turned under the covers to stare at the closed vertical blinds and the strips of light that gleamed along the edges. /Are you truly happy, Ran-kun? Or do you think you have nowhere else to go and-- are just-- accustomed to their demands?/


	2. Illusions of Freedom

Youji returned to the Koneko no Sumu Ie tired and irritable after his fruitless search. If there was one bright spark to his discovery, it was the knowledge that Ran was well and healthy. How ever badly his stay had begun with Schwarz, they weren't ill-treating him now. Or at the least they didn't appear to be physically abusive to him. Or rather Youji could not claim to have had the chance to observed them long enough to see whether the happy appearance was anymore than a mask. After all Ran was a master when it came to hiding behind a mas--

"Enough!" Youji was ready to slap his face to stop himself from driving himself crazy with worry. With a last sigh, he started his track down the spiral staircase to look for Omi in the mission room.

As the chestnut blonde descended into the room, a smirk crossed his lips to overhear what he thought was Omi listening to an illicit recording. "Ha!" He sprang the rest of the way down in triumph. "I finally caught you looking up porn on the internet, did--?"

Recognition of the recording only hit him when he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Kuso, Omi!" Youji strode over to the tape player and savagely hit the stop button. He turned to the couch where the younger man was seated with his knees clutched to his chest. "Why do you keep torturing yourself? Why do you keep listening to this?"

The small blonde sniffled as his arm came up to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Youji-kun?"

"Why Omi?" The older man sat beside him and hugged him close as he dabbed at the trail of tears flowing down Omi's face with the corner of his sweater. "It upsets you. It upsets us. If-- we didn't have to keep-- *it* as evidence, we'd have-- destroyed it a long time ago."

"I-- get tired, Youji-kun." Omi told him softly as he buried his face into Youji's sweater. "I get so-- tired of searching-- trying to find some clue to where Schwarz is holding him-- It-- it renews my determination. We have to find him, Youji-kun. We have to..."

At that moment, Youji didn't know if he should mention having caught a glimpse of Ran at the festival. The words were caught in his throat as to whether or not he should tell Omi that Schwarz had brainwashed Ran into believing he was with better-- friends than Weiß ever was to him.

"It was my fault we lost him... He wasn't well, I should have made sure one of us was with him on that mission..."

"Omi." Youji pushed him up so that they could look each other in the eye. "It wasn't your fault. We were all-- You know from experience how closed off Ran could--"

"He was *subtle*." Omi cut him off vehemently. "He did care for us, Youji-kun. Only he acts so quietly that sometimes you just don't really notice, or it takes you by surprise."

Youji's lips quirked to remember the number of pleasant surprises their friend had given them over the years. "Yeah, and he hated it when we make fuss."

"I-- can't count the number of times I'd be--" Omi sniffled as he looked over at his workstation wistfully. "He'd-- I mean, I'd be so engrossed in hacking into sites or research that I never notice him coming up behind me."

"And you'd find a bowl of miso soup or a plate of sushi beside you." Youji finished for him with a fond smile. "And God-forbid us if you try to thank him later, heh?"

"Only if we do it in public." Omi gave him an answering smile. "He didn't mind so much if we approached him quietly when-- we remembered to..." He flushed guiltily.

"Yeah... He was shy like that..." Youji sighed as he thought of their absent friend. "In-- in any case, each of us-- we should all have acted sooner instead of letting him hide alone in his apartment."

Omi's arms tightened on Youji's sweater at his words. They had been ashamed and aghast over their inattention when they visited Ran's apartment after his kidnapping. They hadn't suspected that he had been neglecting himself... From all outward appearances Ran had kept his apartment meticulously clean, as he was want to do being the neat freak that he was, but his refrigerator and pantry had been packed with stale or rotting food. From the expiry date on the milk carton, it seemed as if he hadn't opened his fridge or looked into his larder for weeks. They couldn't remember seeing him eat very much in all the time since Aya-chan's accident either.

"I was going to say something after that mission." Omi whimpered in Youji's arms miserably. "I really was, Youji-kun. I was going to get you and Ken-kun and-- I was-- I was going to suggest we go to our mountain cabin for a vacation. I wouldn't have taken 'no' for an answer."

"I know, Omi." The older man rubbed his back soothingly. "We'd have been able to keep a closer watch on him then, and made sure he ate, and made sure he wasn't alone and-- and--"

"Do you think he's-- that he's--"

Youji sucked in a deep breath and pushed the younger man up to look at him reassuringly. "Omi, I-- I saw him today."

"Where?!" Omi's hands seized his arms in a death grip. "What happened? Why didn't you say so earlier? Where is--?"

"Slow down, Chibi. One question at a time." He winced at the tight hold, making Omi flush in apology and release him. "I only saw him briefly and he looked-- I guess he looked okay. Crawford and Schuldig brought him to the cherry blossom festival. I-- lost them in the crowds."

"They-- brought him out?" Omi's expression was incredulous.

"Yeah, and-- he was hanging off Crawford's arm." The older man growled as he nodded towards the now silent tape player. "It didn't make sense."

The light of understanding sparked in Omi's tear bright eyes. "Kami-sama, we-- we left it for too long, didn't we? He thought we didn't care about him. So he-- he accepted Schwarz? They've paid him more attention and-- convinced him that they care for him more then we do?"

"I don't know." Youji shook his head in frustration. "Whatever-- we have to find him. I can't believe that Schwarz can be treating him right. We have to find him and get him away from them."

"They can't... I don't believe Ran could-- how could he forgive..." Omi stared at the tape player. "He could have been sick-- maybe he-- *was* sick enough that he thought it was just a nightmare? They could have treated him better after-- that..."

"They must have kept him in the dark." Youji nodded in agreement. "At least we know he's alive and-- okay enough right now, Omi. It gives us time to look for him."

"He's not going to stay with those bastards, Youji-kun." Omi climbed out of Youji's embrace to return to his computer. "Never forgive the bad ones. We will find Ran-kun and get him away from the bad ones."

*~*~*~*~*

Schuldig sneaked up behind the Japanese redhead who was busy in the kitchen. Of all the rooms he watched their kitten potter around, Schuldig most enjoyed watching him in the kitchen. This was especially so when the evening sun shone through the decorative lattice of the kitchen window to paint a delicate lace pattern of yellow upon his pale skin. It was like looking upon gold chains wrapped around his lithe form.

He waited for an opportune moment before he pounced, his hands going straight for the younger man's ribs. "Hey, Liebchen."

"Schu!" The wooden spoon went flying with a startled laugh and a jerk of hands that clutched at the tickling digits. "Baka! I could have spilled the soup."

"And what a shame it'd be if you and Nagi were denied your miso soup, heh, Liebchen?" He nuzzled the scowling redhead suggestively as his arms repositioned themselves to hold Ran in a loose embrace, careful not to press too hard on his bruises.

"Hn. What happened to you earlier?" Ran turned within the encirclement of his arms to give him a sweet kiss. "Brad said you spotted someone you needed to clear things up with."

"Mmmm. Lets not talk about that when we have more interesting things to do." Schuldig bent to continue the kiss.

"Mmph." Ran let him kiss him a while longer before he reluctantly pushed his lover away. "Later, I don't want to burn dinner."

"You're all the dinner I need, Liebchen."

"Later you sex fiend." Ran blushed and glared at him as he pushed firmly on his shoulders. "*Much* later. Nagi has a test tomorrow. *And* we're going to ensure he has a restful night of sleep."

"Ran." Schuldig whined at him for his cruelty.

"He can hear us through the walls, Schu."

"Crawford and I never bothered him before."

"Really?" From Ran's expression, Schuldig didn't think he believed him. "Well, we seem to have been keeping him awake lately." Ran frowned in concern as he thought of the boy. "I don't think he's slept well in a rather long time."

"Ran, one night isn't going to hurt him."

"So it won't hurt us either. Abstinence does a person good every now and then." Ran told him heartlessly as he turned back to the stove.

Schuldig let out a long-suffering sigh as he slumped onto a kitchen chair to sulk. Ran pointedly ignored him and continued with his cooking. As he watched his lover humming softly to himself, Schuldig couldn't help but dwell on his encounter with Kudou. The man was a danger to their hold on their little sex kitten. It had bothered Crawford and him greatly that Ran would still occasionally be sad and wistful for the apparent abandonment by this friend. But it suited their pleasure that Weiß were alive to agonise over the apparent fate of their redhead teammate. He had to wonder though when their plans for amusement had taken a long-term view.

It was certainly undeniable that Crawford had initially kidnapped Ran intending to use the Weiß redhead as a body substitute for him after he was injured on a job. Crawford had refused to have sex with him until his ribs had healed properly. While the concern had touched him, both he and Crawford were ready to go stir crazy with need from having to abstain from sex. Especially the type of S&M sex they both enjoyed and frequently indulged in.

They could have taken anyone, found an experienced prostitute even, through whom Schuldig could safely experience the type of rough and abusive sex he enjoyed with Crawford without his physical involvement. But they had chosen to kill two birds with one stone and take one of the Weiß kittens for their entertainment; Part of a spiteful plan for revenge, for the thwarted ceremony, to torture the remaining kittens with bits and pieces of news of their teammate's suffering in their hands.

It was only going to be for a couple of weeks until Schuldig was well enough to take firsthand participation again. Yet-- their plans to abuse and discard Abyssinian like a used up sex toy had died an early death and-- Schuldig frowned. They could have dumped Ran immediately after he fell sick, but they didn't. He couldn't exactly pinpoint when their feelings for Ran had turned from annoyance for having to take care of him, to possessiveness and anxiety for the health of their property.

Later on, it had been easy for him to switch his addiction from feeling his own pain to indulging in Ran's agony instead. This new arrangement did agreeably spare him from the morning-after misery following a night of delicious torment and sex. Had they taken one of the other kittens, Schuldig was quite certain their plans would not have veered very much off their original course.

He and Crawford had deliberated long and hard over whom they'd desired as a victim. They'd immediately crossed out Bombay from the list. He was a Takatori, and young though he might now be, his potential as a threat to Schwarz should they accidentally lose control of him later was not something they wanted to face.

They weren't particularly interested in Siberian. From afar, they'd observed him growing more unstable and ruthless with each mission. Without the balancing force of the time spent with the kids he coached, they could well believe that Siberian would have easily tipped over into the deep end a long time ago. Flirting with the possibility that they would present him with a trigger event was not an option. They had little desire to be saddled with two psychotic mad men under the same roof.

Balinese had been a possibility, except they didn't think the Weiß slut would be entertaining for very long. They had considered that he would be far more amusing to observe from afar as a guilt ridden kitten who had been helpless to prevent the kidnapping and sexual torture of a teammate.

So their choices boiled down to Abyssinian; The prideful, stubborn, strong willed and determined kitten who had an expression like marble and a heart of ice. It sounded to them like an interesting challenge to shatter that stone and melt the ic--

"Schu?" Schuldig was startled out of his thoughts when Ran waved a hand in front of him. The man was scowling at him as though upset with his inattention. "You zoned out on me. What were you thinking of?"

Before he could answer, Crawford swiftly stepped into the kitchen and swept Ran into a possessive kiss designed to melt his legs from under him. Ran's hands fisted the American's jacket as he moaned into the kiss and let the taller man support him.

Schuldig watched the lip lock appreciatively. #You didn't have enough of our kätzchen this afternoon?#

/Do we ever get enough?/ Crawford shot back just as he felt Ran's hands spreading to push at him and break the kiss.

The Japanese redhead was flushed and breathing hard, but he growled and determinedly pushed his lover aside to go back to his bubbling pots. "One day you'll make me burn dinner."

"Not if I foresee it first." Crawford smirked as he pulled on Schuldig's arm and gestured him towards the living room. "And I did foresee something of that sort if I left this one here to distract you."

"'This one'?" Schuldig snorted as he came to his feet. "I'm hurt. I have a name, you know?"

"Out, Schuldig." Crawford gave Ran a wink as he pointed the German towards the living room.

Ran grunted, barely acknowledging their departure as he lifted a spoon to taste the stew he had on the stove. Left alone again, he tried not to dwell on Nagi's words to him earlier. /"And-- Crawford and Schuldig are-- treating you well?"/

He never really gave very much thought about it in all the months after he had finally been well enough to leave his-- their bed. As far as he could remember, they did treat him well during his long illness. In his half remembered fevered dreams, he had even wondered why they bothered to put up with his initial stubborn desire to die once he had become lucid enough to try and fight off their care giving. They had been enemies. They needn't have nursed him back to health after they found him.

/"And-- Crawford and Schuldig are-- treating you well?"/

Ran frowned to himself as Nagi's words echoed in his mind again. Despite the aches and pains he had to endure after each night of mind-blowing sex, he thought that he couldn't have found more attentive lovers. They did pamper him on those days when he was too sore to move. He was comfortable with them. Even-- even if he couldn't remember when he first consented to have sex.

It wasn't like it was unpleasant though; they made him feel appreciated and-- loved... As long as he remembered a couple of simple rules, like-- never to accidentally hit Schuldig. They didn't appreciate it, only Crawford had that privilege and they'd punish him for the presumption. It wasn't with the-- 'pleasant' sort of hurt they had taught him to enjoy too. They'd cross the line of the achy, warm burn of hypersensitivity into real pain to discipline him when he was disobedient. He didn't enjoy that. When it was just play though -- he thought it was kinda-- kinky.

He blushed bright red at his train of thoughts, thankful that Schuldig wasn't around to catch his naughty contemplation. When he was interested in play and deliberately turned them on with 'wayward thoughts', they could be inspired. It made him shiver to acknowledge Crawford and Schuldig's possessiveness. He recognised though that it wasn't just sex. They were also concerned about his well-being and protective of him.

Schwarz was still in the 'game' with the underground community, but they had always carefully shielded him from any danger it might have entitled him for being in their family. He certainly had little to fear when he attended his classes at the university. He had to adjust to answering to a different name, but otherwise the identity they arranged for him had offered him a clean slate to start a new life. He still had to be cautious though. Ran was well aware that Kritiker probably considered him a threat to their organisation after he went AWOL. All in all, he felt that he owed Schwarz for protecting him from discovery and offering him a chance at an 'ordinary' life without the killing he had been so tired of in Weiß, especially following-- following--

Ran bit on his finger to distract himself with the pain. Even after all these months it still hurt to think of his sister's senseless death in that road accident. He had killed for her and in her name to earn enough to pay her hospital bills and set aside a trust fund for her to live on after she woke from her coma. Then an accident cut short her new life... It wasn't fair.

A wistful grin pulled at his lips to remember his sister's joy in life. He recalled her cheeky teasing that life was too short and that he should not ignore the pull of friendship he had felt for his Weiß colleagues. She'd even vaguely suggested-- Youji protested a bit too loudly that he was a definite ladies man. She claimed she had caught the self-proclaimed playboy watching him one afternoon when he thought no one was paying attention... Just-- silly fan girl musings, he supposed. He had thought that Aya-chan had an unhealthy obsession with yaoi doujinshi.

Ran wondered what Weiß were doing now and whom they got to replaced him as a new assassin. He blinked away tears as he also wondered if they missed him or even remembered the cold aloof Abyssinian who was always so determined to stand apart from them. He-- must have succeeded too well in making them not care about him at all.

Besides-- it wasn't like he could look them up. Not when Kritiker in all likelihood had him marked for death for disappearing on them. Crawford had warned him. He acknowledged that the man could see the future and knew possibilities he would never have thought of. After so many months of absence-- By now, he did believe Kritiker would have labelled him as a traitor and that Weiß were doubtless given the order to kill on sight. He thought it probably wouldn't be very difficult for his former teammates to carry out an order like that. After all, they were hardly close...


	3. Man in the Net

As soon as they were out of Ran's sight, Crawford shoved Schuldig onto the couch. The anger behind the push surprised the German. #What did I do wrong?#

/Damn it, Schuldig, don't *ever* try to bring up how he ended up with us again./

#So you believe what Kudo is thinking of is true? That he can be 'cured'?#

/What do you think?/ Crawford's eyes seemed to flash maliciously as he leaned over his colleague. /It was everything we imagined it to be, wasn't it? For you to feel every sting and raised welt on skin that wasn't yours; Watch and feel each resounding slap I gave him to reddened that pale, sweet little ass./

Schuldig could feel himself hardening and breathing a bit faster. He barely managed to bite back his moan of arousal at the memory of that night of hot, sweaty, painful sex after being denied for so long.

/Feel me tearing into that virgin-tight hole; Thrill in the aura of the kitten's fear and agony; Feel his anguish and shame for his body's response... Wasn't it everything we dreamed of in our plans?/

#Gott, Crawford! You're turning me on.# They came close with their games, but nothing would ever match that first night.

/Do you think Ran would stay with his rapists if he remembered the terror and pain we put him through?/

Schuldig shook his head and sighed wistfully at the American. #Wasn't it a magical night though?#

/It was... Something we can savour privately between us for years to come. We can even play act as close as we'd like to the real thing as long as we remember to use our special terms of sweet endearment. But--/ Crawford couldn't help but turn his gaze towards the kitchen door. /Don't *ever* remind Ran or make him think about that first night with us, Schuldig.

/If he ever remembers or even suspect that what had happened to him was real.../ Crawford winced at a memory of a previously thwarted vision. /There is a small matter of how much we'd suffer before we are able to kill him. This kitten has claws, you know?/

#Are we such thrill seekers that we like to flirt with that possibility?# Schuldig rolled his eyes in reminder of this repeated argument.

/A little spirit adds spice to our tasty morsel./ Crawford inclined his head towards the kitchen. /You have to admit that it's less troublesome to keep him like this rather than as a broken sex slave./

#Ja, ja. He is self-sufficient. Not to mention he has enough self-worth to be hygienic. We couldn't expect that if he's broken and uncaring of his own existence.#

/Exactly. Let him believe that we've given him some semblance of free will. It strengthens his ties to us./

#Weiß's still sniffing around.# The German's expression went dark as he thought about the encounter in the park. #I did what I could to confuse Kudou and make him reconsider leaving him with us.#

Crawford nodded wryly. /I gave the kitten the old party line on Weiß again./

# That they never cared for him, and should he try to make contact they will likely kill him on sight because of his apparent defection?# Schuldig sneered as he shook his head. #One day your visions may slip, Crawford. You could miss distracting him from writing one of those letters to Kudou that he keeps attempting to start. He's a good enough PI that there is that slim possibility he could locate the post office from where the kitten sends it and track us down.#

/I won't Schuldig. We missed out on that ceremony for power. I'm more vigilant with this. I'm watching Ran and Weiß, especially *Kudou*. I *won't* risk a chance for love./

#Love?# Schuldig snorted at the absurdity of Crawford's words. #We started this for revenge, what has love got to do with it? If he ever finds out, the 'love' he gives us is history.#

/True./ Crawford admitted wryly. /But what value is the love of a slave anyway? I'm more concerned about the fall out./ He sighed inwardly. /Our pet should be convinced to forget about Weiß soon. In a few months time, his midterms will be enough of a distraction. I've even promised him that I'd pull a few strings and take him on a tour of the trading floor to watch a typical day of activity for the stock market; Give him an incentive to finish that degree he's studying for.

#Hn! Why you bothered to enrol him in that university... Don't you know he's bored to death with the classes? He's only taking them cause you've paid for them. Some may say you're wasting resources on our little toy." Schuldig's eyes narrowed as he looked at the American thoughtfully. "You're trying to turn him into a reflection of yourself, aren't you?#

/He has to earn his keep./

#Like he doesn't in the kitchen and in our bed?# Schuldig smirked at him. #You know, we could discontinue the maid service. He doesn't exactly leave very much for that old lady to do when she comes in each week.#

/No. He cleans because he wants to. We don't want him to start thinking that he has to clean because we expect it of him. Besides, we do occasionally need the service when we forget ourselves and he's too sore to move./

#It's fortunate for us that the kätzchen's too confused to recognise his true position. Heh? We never exactly gave him a chance to refuse us. And we did start out having sex with him while he was still under the influence of drugs, you know?#.

/You cannot call it rape when he's proved so willing./ Crawford smirked at him. /He consented in the end, that's all that matters./

#He grew *accustomed* to our demands.# Schuldig rolled his eyes at Crawford. #The kätzchen is still uncomfortable about being tied, you know? I can hear him wanting to ask us not to chain him up any more.#

/Humph. Then we'll just have to remind him that it's not an option he's allowed to refuse./

"And when do you suppose we do that?" The German grumbled aloud as he pouted. "Nagi has a test tomorrow."

Crawford grinned and dangled a set of keys in front of him. "That's why I booked us into a suite for the next few days. Nagi can have his good night's sleep and we'll still have ours. Lets see who can make our kitten yowl the loudest tonight."

"Brad!"

The pair turned to see their lover furiously blushing at them. It was clear in no uncertain way that Ran heard the last bit of Crawford's words.

"I-- you-- Dinner-- on the table..."

As the Japanese redhead fled back into the kitchen in embarrassment, the American and the German grinned in anticipation and came to their feet to chase down their lover. Perhaps they could have a quickie in the kitchen before the food grew cold. Or better yet, provoke an incident so that they had an excuse to extract a bit more 'punishment' later. After all, their naughty little kitten needed to be taught a lesson for his presumption to dare dictate a night of abstinence.

Life was good when they had a pliant and eager little sex slave to cater to their every whim. The crowning glory of their victory over Weiß and Kritiker was to also have their toy so innocently tied to them, thinking that he was safer with Schwarz than with his friends. Revenge was sweet.

*~*~*~*~*

Nagi killed his scream as he threw himself out of the nightmare. He sat up panting in his room trying to banish the lingering memory of the dream. It was no use, despite Crawford's 'thoughtfulness' in relocating their orgy it didn't look like he was going to get any rest tonight. If the truth was to be told, he hadn't had a peaceful night of slumber ever since *that* night. Nagi could feel himself tearing up again at the memory of the muffled moans of pain and terror. Though Ran didn't remember that first night, it was etched in Nagi's memory and he couldn't stop having nightmares about it.

"Y' thinking of the kitten."

A startle scream escaped Nagi before he could clamp down on it. "Jei! How many times do I have to ask you not to sneak in and watch me in the dark?"

The silver haired man shrugged as he moved to silently sit at the foot of Nagi's bed. The Japanese boy glared at him as he fought to calm his racing heart. There were times when he did like Jei's company, but not when he appeared so unexpectedly.

"Worried about you."

Nagi's eyes softened as he regarded the man. Even though Jei had taken out a knife and was now using it to pare his nail, Nagi couldn't say that he felt worried. It was just a nervous habit of the man. he knew that Jei would never hurt him; They had been together too long and helped each other too much.

"I-- I'm okay. Just some-- nightmares."

"You listen to them every night." The piercing yellow eye regarded the boy. "You don't like it."

Despite the months that passed since Schwarz finally put Farfarello on proper medication, it still gave Nagi pause to consider how sane the man would sound with the passage of each day. It was a vast improvement over his 'hurting God' mantra. However, with the onset of lucidity, Schwarz discovered that Jei was left with a very blunt tongue.

"It's-- it's none of my business..." Nagi looked down unable to meet his eye.

"Ran has been good for us." The Irishman pressed on, unwilling to let Nagi drop the subject. "He makes sure I eat my medicines. It feels better."

Nagi nodded in agreement, he didn't regret Ran joining their family either. He liked Ran. The Weiß redhead had come to be everything he imagined an elder brother to be like. Nagi was glad to have him join them and lend to Schwarz a greater semblance of a family. But-- the relationship of the threesome bothered him and he couldn't ever forget the crying or the pain choked screaming of that first night. He couldn't forget the sight of Ran the morning after and the blood that practically soaked the bed he was chained to.

It was true that Crawford and Schuldig had cleaned up after themselves; That in the weeks which followed when they looked after Fujimiya, they had done a 180-degree and become genuinely concerned for his well being. But-- Nagi couldn't get over what they had done that night and continued to do, though to a lesser degree. Some nights, as he listened to them through the walls, he'd swear that they deliberately wanted to hear Ran's choked cries of pain. It wasn't the same sort of-- feelings he'd hear from Crawford and Schuldig's games. It-- sounded to him like they enjoyed hurting Ran.

Also since Ran started living with them, Crawford never hit Schuldig again. It was Ran who carried the bruises and took all the punishment now. And-- Crawford was far more brutal with him than he ever dared to be with Schuldig...

To be fair, they did pamper the man whenever they got overly rough and he was in too much pain to move the next day. But Nagi felt that their solicitous attention was no more than their concern for a valued piece of property. He couldn't believe that Crawford or Schuldig regarded Ran as anything other than a-- pretty sex toy.

"They treat us no better, Nagi." Jei quietly brought Nagi's attention back to him. "The only difference is they don't beat us and don't use us for sex."

Nagi's eyes widened in surprise at Jei's remarkable observation. Thinking about it, he could not deny the assertion. He had his powers of telekinesis. Jei had his ability to not feel pain and his fearsome berserker skill in battle. They were useful to Schwarz and that was why they were there. However, in all other matters not concerning a mission or a job, they were left to their own devices. In Farferello's case, he was often just strapped into a straitjacket and locked away until the next time he was needed. Nagi hated that.

It had changed after Ran joined them. With someone to back him up, Nagi had finally persuaded Crawford to put the Irishman under medication. For all the teasing and snide discouragement he had had to endure from Schuldig, Nagi would swear that watching Jei's emergence was worth it.

Ran had at first been properly sceptical as well when Nagi first tried to recruit his assistance. Though he was uneasy to be in Farfarello's presence, Ran was still supportive of Nagi's project to return the Irishman's sanity. Even Jei was recognised that he would never have progressed as far as he did without Ran's assistance.

"They don't care. He helped you to help me, Nagi." From the sweat which stood on Jei's brow, Nagi could see that the man was putting a lot of concentration and effort into staying sane and talking rationally with him. "If you won't help him. Help me."

Nagi flinched at Jei's request. It was as cruel an accusation as Jei could give him for his passive acceptance of the situation. But what Jei was trying to propose was betrayal, wasn't it? Surely he owed the American something for pulling him off the streets? Then again, he also had his powers. If he was not a telekinetic, wouldn't he still be on the streets where-- He shivered almost violently, remembering his own screams of so long ago.

"We are just as trapped, Nagi. You can free us." Jei put a hand on his. "I-- want to have a clear mind."

Nagi's fingers curled into Jei's larger hand as he blinked back his tears. He would swear that this was the longest he ever recalled Jei being lucid and rational. It was more progress than Nagi had ever dared to wish for, and he knew it would get better if he could bring Jei to see a doctor for the next stage of treatment. Except-- He didn't think Crawford would agree to let Jei be treated. With every step of his improvement, the Berserker traits regressed. Schwarz wanted Farfarello as a killing machine. He wouldn't be one anymore if he regained his sanity.

"Nagi-- I-- can't do anything. Free us."

Nagi took a deep breath as he turned to stare at the clock on his bathroom wall. The night was still young. Just barely past midnight. Crawford and Schuldig were probably still fully occupied, if what they had hinted to a blushing Ran during dinner was any indication of their plans for the evening.

Before he could lose his nerve, the Japanese boy strode determinedly towards the computer room closely followed by the Irishman. He hesitated for just one moment as his fingers were posed over the keyboard to type. Jei rested a hand on his shoulder offering his support.

The keyboard started clicking under Nagi's hands as he logged into an IRC channel. It was a room that Crawford had banned him from rejoining after the botched ceremony because they knew Bombay frequented that channel...

*~*~*~*~*

Omi stared at the message in the main chat room noting the arrival of a long absent user. He almost dared not to breath as the rest of the room greeted this old friend. A Personal Message window popped up on his screen from Nagi before he had a chance to send a private greeting of his own.

His eyes widened to almost comical proportions to read the information the Schwarz telekinetic voluntarily passed on to him.


	4. Broken Chains

Ran carefully slid his whetstone over the blade, taking comfort in this familiar activity of sword maintenance. He used to do this once a night when he was with Weiß, whether or not his sword was in need of sharpening. It was a relaxing activity and routine enough to distract him from the reality that was his life. Despite not having done this for almost nine months, he found that he lost none of his touch.

He truthfully had not expected to ever see this sword, which he named Shion after his former Master, ever again. Weiß had returned Shion to him without question after Nagi handed it over when he joined them at the mountain cabin. The telekinetic had claimed that it had been kept under lock and key in Brad's closet. It had never occurred to Ran to ask either Brad or Schu if Schwarz kept it after they picked him up.

Ran slid his sword back into its sheath and placed it at the head of his bed. As he regarded it, he found himself thinking of how Kudou had so readily given it to him. It made him wonder why the man did not consider that he might try to use the sword to avenge the death of one of his lovers.

Thinking of that, he wondered if Brad or Schuldig would have returned it just as unhesitatingly if he had asked. A month ago, he would have easily said 'yes'. Now he was unsure if it was misplaced trust. With Nagi and Jei backing up Weiß's claims as well, Ran's life was thrown in turmoil to understand what had been done to him. He couldn't-- didn't want to believe them.

Ran closed his eyes, willing the tears away as he piled his pillows over the sword. His thoughts were still in chaos as he turned to look around his room; taking in the familiar writing desk and chair, and the shadows cast by the moonlight streaming though the clear glass of his window. It may have been over a year since he last stayed at the cabin in the mountains, but he'd never forget his old room for the calm and relaxation he enjoyed there. Being here did much to alleviate the stress he currently felt.

Still he was... 'blank'. That was the only way Ran could describe it. He felt empty and confused. Everything had happened around him so fast-- Two weeks may have passed since that-- bloody night, but he was still in shock.

A part of him wished that it were a horrible dream that he would soon awaken from. However, the details of the night Weiß 'retrieved' him were too vivid. Ran could still imagine smelling the blood that had spurt all over him and on the bed after Kudou...

It was a mistake. It was all a terrible, terrible mistake. Weiß... He now realised that they-- *did* care about him. He had been away from them for over eight months and he was amazed that they had spent all that time searching for him. They thought Schwarz were holding him against his will, but it couldn't be further from the truth. It wasn't like he had been kept in shackles or locked up. Ran insisted that he could have left at any time. He didn't have to stay with Schwarz. He was allowed to come and go freely. Brad and Schu guarded or accompanied him if they felt he might need to be protected when he went out, but he had the freedom to move about. He *wasn't* a prisoner.

To be fair, if that was the assumption Weiß had, Ran could understand why Balinese acted as he did. Brad and Schu had been rather fervent with the whip and riding crop that night. They could not have been presented in a worse light when Weiß burst into at the hotel suite. The white hunters had looked upon an enormously incriminating scene with Schuldig sexually sated and relaxed on the divan; Brad energetically fucking his torn and bleeding asshole, while he lay chained and gagged to the bed; His body covered in flowering bruises and liberally crisscrossed with red and bleeding welts; And the expression on his tear streaked face twisted with pain... Ran could understand why Weiß jumped to the conclusion that he was being brutally raped.

A shudder ran through his frame as he remembered that interrupted session. Ran had deeply regretted suggesting a gag in their games. He had thought it safe as Schuldig could have read his mind and known if he was in distress. However, he never considered a situation where the telepath might have been too tired to spare the effort to listen in on him. He had been surprised when Schuldig took the first round to top him, and when he was done and it was Brad's turn... Brad was quite a bit larger than Schu, and despite the additional lubrication offered by Schuldig's orgasm the American had torn into him. The agony of Brad's vigorous fucking almost made him pass out. Unable to plead with his lover to be gentler with the gag on, he had wished desperately for something to stop the man. He truly never expected or wanted his wish to be fulfilled so-- bloodily.

At the least, Brad hadn't suffered. Ran had a great deal of respect for Kudou's weapon of choice. The Garrotte was not a weapon that Ran was particularly comfortable with. In the short time he had trained in its use, he had come to appreciate the strength of the man who would wield it. He was not sure he had the stomach to listen as his victim died of asphyxiation while he held the wire taut. There was also another way to kill with it that Kudou had turned into an art form. Ran just could not imagine how Balinese so easily sent the wires flying out to slice his intended target into pieces. One of the first times he witnessed this display of skill was on the mission against a 'doll-maker' who used real children to create his life like dolls. Kudo did the same to Brad as the man towered over him. Ran was never going to forget witnessing his lover decapitated before his eyes and having the body, still balls deep within him, fall upon him to pin him to the bed.

His fright to have a suddenly headless corpse spurting blood over him was enough to make him forget the agony he had been subjected to. He was quite unaware of Schuldig's departure though he had felt the impact of the bullets in their dead lover's body as the German tried to shoot him. If he thought about it, Ran could imagine that Schuldig was perhaps thinking to give him a quick death instead of letting Weiß capture him. Pain, blood loss, and shock quickly took their toll and mercifully sent him into unconsciousness before Weiß could approach him.

After that, it had all been a blur to him. All he could think of was that Brad was dead. It seemed unbelievable that the man's gift of foresight had failed him in this instance. He-- Ran felt the weight of guilt upon him. Was it his fault? Was he such a distraction for Brad that he overlooked a vision?

It never occurred to Ran to blame Nagi for betraying them. The boy had always been uncomfortable about their relationship and Ran couldn't fault him for his concern. Then there were also his unrelenting efforts to seek treatment for Jei that the pair did not believe was necessary. Ran knew that Nagi had the conviction that he was doing the right thing because he cared about him and Jei. That seemed clear enough to Ran when he accidentally witnessed the quiet exchange between Hidaka and Nagi after they had settled down in the cabin.

He distinctly remembered the mission with the church where Weiß's target had been a nun who sent her orphan charges out as assassins. She had been the same woman who Hidaka knew and loved from the orphanage. She died on Siberian's bugnucks for her proven crimes as exposed by Kritiker. Nagi had been angry at Hidaka then for killing someone who he cared for too, despite the reasons. Now, however, with this new perspective of having betrayed the ones who took him off the streets, Nagi had told Hidaka that he understood. The boy had settled in very well after that.

Ran had to admit that being with Weiß was good for Nagi. He had come alive and laughed more freely and joyously then Ran ever remembered in the time they stayed together. In the two weeks they had lived at the cabin, he had watched as Nagi, Omi and Ken played in the snow and sometimes engaged in snowball fights outside his window. Ran's pale lips pulled into a small smile of amusement to remember a scene of the telekinetic carrying a good load of snow in front of him with his powers and chasing the laughing pair who were trying to avoid being buried.

Then there was also Jei. Ran would be the first to admit that he was uncomfortable with the Irishman, but he meant him no ill will. From what Nagi told him, Crawford had refused to engage any medical aid for the man because Schwarz wanted to use his berserker capabilities in battle. Now freed from Schwarz, Jei could finally availed of the medical aid he required through Kritiker's generosity. Nagi had been thrilled to tell Weiß that Jei was responding well to the treatments and would at some future point like to meet them when his doctors deemed him sane enough to have more company. Their response had been understandably lukewarm. Tsukiyono was especially distant about accepting the Jei since he remembered all too well how the Irishman murdered his cousin. Nevertheless, Ran did sense that Weiß were curious to meet with a sane Farfarello who did not 'hate God'.

It gave Ran a lot to think about to know that Nagi and Jei believed Brad and Schuldig were abusing him, and that they thought they needed to put a stop to it. But it wasn't true, was it? Why did they waste so much time and effort nursing him back to health if they didn't care about him? If he was just a-- a toy to be used and abused, why did they bother to create an identity for him and let him take classes at the university? Why did they take him to the movies or-- to the cherry blossom festival with its crowds of people? Schuldig hated crowds because of the shields he had to erect to protect his mind from the mental assault. Why did he endure the nuisance of the additional shielding if he hadn't cared?

Ran thought that Brad and Schu really did love him... didn't they? Everything they did for him wasn't some-- after thought. Or-- was it like Nagi and Weiß insisted and it was manipulation. Was everything just-- need-driven then? Like the university course... Despite his able handling of basic bookkeeping and general administration, which he had learned under his father's wing, Ran really wasn't all that keen to take up a degree in business. Brad had persuaded him that it was a practical course for the future. He had complied with the arguments as they did make sense, but it wasn't his area of interest.

And there was Weiß... In spite of everything he had believed-- After all that he had been told-- it stunned him to learn that they cared and worried about him all through his long absence. At first he had thought the anger they displayed around him was due to their feelings of betrayal that Ran had voluntarily stayed with Schwarz. But later, he understood that the fury they unconsciously displayed when they regarded him was not directed at him. It was the sight of the amount of weal scars, fresh wounds and bruises, new and old, which covered his body that invoked these feelings. He could sense that his injuries were inciting in them a smothering bloodlust for the escaped Schuldig's hide.

His hand unconsciously moved to rub absently at the healed cuts on his wrists caused by the handcuffs they had used on him that fateful night. He hadn't thought his injuries had been quite as bad as Weiß made them out to be. The doctors seemed to think that he was anaemic from blood loss, but it was ridiculous. He had always been pale; More so now since he had spent less time out in the sun and in the open for fear of discovery by Kritiker or Schwarz's enemies. It wasn't like they regularly broke his ribs or made him bleed all that bad. It-- wasn't like bruises took all that long to heal...

Brad and Schu-- He didn't want to believe Weiß or Nagi. He wasn't so pathetic as to have fallen in love with his abusers. He knew they did love him. They-- just enjoyed a type of rough S&M love. There *wasn't* anything wrong with that. He had been happy with them. Wasn't that enough... He-- wasn't-- He wasn't-- They did...

Ran bit his lip hard drawing blood as he tried to distract himself with pain and derail his train of thought. His hands moved up to hug his arms as he lay on his bed in wretched confusion. He almost didn't notice his window being open, though the cold breeze that entered his room quickly drew his attention to the intruder.

"Schu?"

The German looked awful as he painfully pulled himself into the room. Ran leaped off his bed in alarm to approach him. Despite the cold outside, the man was sweating and his eyes looked fevered. Ran looked immediately at the bloodied bandage, which was wrapped around Schuldig's left arm. He remembered then that Tsukiyono mentioned having managed to shoot the man while he had been slowed down because he was sluggish from sexual satiation.

Ran felt the weight of guilt crush him again. Schuldig was fast. He normally would have no problem avoiding Bombay's crossbow bolts. This-- was his fault too...

He started to reach for his lover's injured arm. "Let-- let me take care of that."

"Don't touch me!" The German's knuckles impacted against Ran's cheek hard, throwing him back onto the bed.

"Schu?" Ran shakily pushed himself up from his pile of pillows to stared at him in surprise and shock. In all the time they had been together, they had never tried to injure his face. They'd rip into his arms and body easily, but they loved his face and didn't want to ever see it marred by bruises or cuts.

"Don't you, 'Schu' me, slut." Schuldig snarled at him as he stalked into the room. "He's dead! He's dead because of you!"

"I-- Brad--" A gun fired. Ran felt the wind of a bullet whiz past his face as it embedded itself into the headboard. For the first time, he noticed the gun that was clutched in Schuldig's right fist as it was pointed at him.

"*You* have no right to use that name, Kätzchen. You were never what I was to him and *I* still had to call him 'Crawford'!"

"Schuldig? You-- you're not well-- fevered..." Ran cringed to hear him snarl the familiar 'Kätzchen' like it was a sneer. "You-- don't know what you're saying. Weiß-- It-- it was all a mistake--"

"Ja, it was a mistake to keep you. We should have dumped you the moment you got sick, but Brad saw something in holding onto you." Schuldig growled as he waved his gun at Ran. "He said it would be interesting entertainment for us and that it wouldn't be too hard to train you."

"Train--?" One of Ran's hands moved to gingerly touch his reddening cheek. He was experienced enough about receiving 'love taps' to know that it was going to bruise horribly later.

"Ja, what did you think?" The German stood close enough that even though he was wavering on his feet, he couldn't have missed hitting Ran at that point-blank range. "All it took were a few sweet words and a kind touch every now and then--"

At that moment, they both heard the pounding on Ran's locked door. They could hear Youji yelling outside. "Ran?! What's happening in there? Ran?!"

"It-- was just-- you were only--" Ran's mind went blank as he stared at his former lover.

"Did you think it was love?" Schuldig sneered at him ignoring the commotion outside.

"You-- were just using me..." Ran's hand slid under one of his pillows.

"You were nothing to us!" The fever mad German thundered as his body blocked the moonlight and his shadow loomed over the shattered man. "He was my heart! And he's dead-- Because. Of. You!"

So engrossed were they in each other that neither man had paid much attention to the shaking door and the shouts from outside. Then the door finally burst open under Nagi's telekinetic shove.

For a split second, Schuldig's attention faltered. In that instance, Ran rose to his feet on the bed and the sword that he had named Shion slid easily and swiftly out of its sheath into a shining arc.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Schuldig felt his gun kickback into his hand. The German's eyes shifted from looking at the red blossoming on the man's pyjamas top to seek out the other redhead's face. Ran's expression of grim determination was one that he knew all too well from when they met on the field as enemies. Schuldig may have been a telepath, but he had no warning at all of the Weiß redhead's intensions, neither could he read anything in the man's mind right now. No hate, no anger, no sadness...

Even as he felt the recoil of the gun in his hand again, the German knew that he was looking upon his death. The sword continued in its unwavering arc as the man appeared seemingly unaware of his being shot. Schuldig now understood Crawford's respect for Abyssinian's clear and intense mission focus, which made him a formidable assassin.

Before the blade connected, the German consoled himself with the thought that Ran would surely be following him shortly. Perhaps he and Crawford could greet their little sex toy together in the netherworld.


	5. Epilogue

Youji tried to make as little noise as he could as he shifted uncomfortably on the bedroll that was laid on the floor of his room. A self-confessed creature of comfort, he hated sleeping without a proper mattress. However, for the last week or so, it was decidedly necessary. As his eyes turned to gaze at the restless occupant of his bed, Youji told himself for the umpteenth time that he would not have wished it any other way. The most important fact of the matter was that Ran was alive.

They had been amazed that despite the months of inactivity Ran never lost his edge or forgot his mission focus. It was the only thing that they could think of which would explain how Ran could have ignored the gunshot wounds and completed his strike. If the Schwarz redhead had been at full strength, he probably could have avoided injury. However, fevered as he was from an infected wound and mad with grief after Crawford's death, Schuldig was too slow to avoid being cleaved in two. By rights, Ran shouldn't have survived either.

It would be a long time before any of them forgot that mad midnight dash down the mountain. Youji had concentrated fully on driving, determined to carefully navigate the icy roads and get them all to the hospital without any further casualties. Ken rode shotgun and called ahead to have Manx get the hospital ready to receive them. Omi and Nagi were in the backseat, vainly trying to keep the pressure on Ran's wounds to stop the bleeding. It had been touch and go. They had feared Ran would die from shock and loss of blood before they could get him to the hospital, but they made it to the emergency ward in time.

Of course, no one was thinking about Schuldig and his blood soaking into the hardwood floor and bed then. It was just unfortunate that by the time they remembered to send the Kritiker clean up crew to the cabin, the blood was so ingrained in the wood it was near impossible to remove the stains.

While Kritiker were quick to arrange to have Ran's room refurbished, it reeked of the harsh cleaning agents they had used. They were not about to let Ran stay in that room while he was recuperating. So, it meant that someone had to give Ran his bed while the room was aired out. Youji made the offer. After all, he claimed that his bed was the most luxurious and comfortable bed in the cabin because of the care and expense he went to to procure the mattress. He figured Ran would be most secure there since his injuries were bad enough to need long periods of rest in bed. So, that was why Youji, the comfort slut, ended up sleeping on the floor of his bedroom.

He wasn't about to hold it against Ran though. For all the time Ran spent visiting hospitals because of his sister, Youji could understand why he couldn't stand to stay in a sterile hospital room once he woke up. Ran was already under enough stress that they didn't want to subject him to anymore. He had been very relieved to be brought back to the cabin to recover as soon as they could safely move him. However, from Youji's nightly observations, he didn't think Ran was getting much sleep. Youji swore that the man was more restless than he was on the floor.

Apart from the sleepless nights though, Ran had come very far in the week he had been discharged from the hospital as compared to the two weeks after his rescue. Remembering with guilt how they had caused their friend to think they had abandoned him in the weeks which followed his sister's death, Youji, Omi and Ken were determined never to let him mistakenly think that way again. They let him have his privacy at least once a day, but they now made sure that one of them was around or near him most of the time.

Unintentional or not, Schuldig's words to Youji at the cherry blossom festival gave them all pause to reconsider how they interacted with Ran. Unlike them, Ran was a master at the art of subtle concern. They had to understand and accept that if they were inelegant in the way they expressed their camaraderie, so be it. Even if Ran greeted their overtures with embarrassment or annoyance for making a fuss, it was okay. As his friends, they could live with it.

It wasn't like Ran didn't appreciate their efforts. He just had a quiet nature that hated fanfare. And besides, they would bet that Ran would eventually grow to be accustomed to their more boisterous nature if they showed him how much they really cared about him often. True enough, the awkward embarrassment to be in their company was slowly and surely giving way under their patience to comfortable silences and he was opening more to them in companionship.

Nagi's presence had also helped a lot as he was someone Ran could talk to about the environment they had both been rescued from. Granted though that Nagi was spared from sexual depredation, having to put up with listening to an S&M orgy in the room next to him almost every night was not light trauma either.

They knew that it had been very hard for Ran to accept the truth of Crawford and Schuldig's feelings for him. Up until they stood outside the door of the hotel suite that fateful night, Youji had himself held second thoughts about Schwarz's attention to Ran's welfare. He admitted, if only to himself, that he could have been biased and mistaken about his concern. All it took was a muffled, pained filled shriek from within to quickly change his mind. Seeing their friend so cruelly treated invoked in Youji a sense of protectiveness and possessiveness he never thought himself capable of.

Ran still had nightmares. He didn't want to talk about them the few times when Youji would get up to shake him awake though. Still, Youji knew from listening to his mumbled sobs that he often dreamed of Crawford and Schuldig. The counsellor had warned them that it would take a long time for Ran to stop dwelling on his submissive capitulation to Schwarz.

"Youji? Ar-- are you awake?"

Stirred from his train of thought, Youji turned to look up at the bed and found Ran peering at him. He kept his mouth shut before he said something stupid. He knew Ran would give him a hard glare if he ever tried to insinuate that the man looked cute. However, at that moment, 'cute and endearing' were the only words Youji could think of to describe how Ran looked as he peeked shyly over the edge of the bed.

"Aa? Yeah, I'm still awake."

Ran blushed in embarrassment, as he looked down unable to meet his eyes. "I'm-- sorry about your having to sleep on the floor."

Youji reached up to lift Ran's chin so that he would look at him face to face. "Don't worry about it." He hoped that Ran could read the reassurance in his eyes. "How are you? That bed has the most comfortable mattress I could find in all Tokyo. Isn't it okay for you?"

"I-- It's--" Ran sounded hesitant and unsure. "I-- haven't-- slept alone for a long time..."

Youji blinked as the redhead trailed off. His tired mind was having a hard time wrapping itself around the meaning of what was said and the implication of the words. Something stirred within Youji's chest and he wondered if he dared to hold such high hopes so soon. He did question though why Ran didn't just ask if he wanted company if what he dreamed of was true. Then he thought again about their quiet friend. /Did-- he see it as begging? And--/

"A-- aren't you cold?" Ran asked him quietly.

There was something else to it, Youji was sure of it. Then it struck him.

"It *is* chilly down here." Youji sat up on the bedroll to look at Ran hopefully. "Er-- would it be okay if-- I climb in with you? To keep warm of course." He added hastily.

"Hai." Ran's consent was given softly.

Youji got up and slid under the blankets Ran helpfully held up for him. His touch was careful as he moved to gently pull the smaller man into the warm circle of his arms; ready to let go if Ran gave him even a hint of discomfort. The man shivered slightly, but he did not pull away, instead snuggling comfortably against Youji's chest.

They settled down together peacefully with Ran's head tucked under his chin. Youji's arms gently enfolded the smaller man in a protective embrace. "Arigato, Ran. It's more comfortable in bed than on the floor." Youji murmured softly in his hair.

+"Do itashimashite." The redhead murmured sleepily against his chest.

Youji's lips pulled into a smile of contentment. 'Consent.' It was one of the issues that the counsellor had said was sorely lacking during Ran's entire stay with Schwarz. In their long talks about that time, Ran was slowly coming to understand and realise how little control he had been allowed, and how much the pair had manipulated him into believing he acted of his own free will.

Was it manipulation then when Ran prompted Youji to ask a leading question, which allowed him to give an answer of consent for something he wanted? Youji pondered the question as he listened to the redhead's breathing slowly even out in sleep. Maybe, but it could also be taken as Ran offering to him a gesture to understand that he would not look down upon any overtures. Youji grinned to himself as he thought of how Ran's actions also seemed to signify his renewed trust of him.

Youji didn't intend for Ran to need such a round about way to seek affection from now on. He was determined to give Ran everything he would ever want and deserve. He knew, though, that he had to be careful about how he treated Ran. He had to thread a thin line between making Ran feel like a precious treasure and a helpless, dependent. The man's sense of self worth was already fragile as it is. If he wasn't watchful of his actions, Youji was quite aware that he could cause Ran to push him away in an attempt to reassert his pride and independence.

As Youji pondered his dilemma, he gave some thought as to how he could win an argument for Ran to continue to stay with him after his room was inhabitable again. Then he remembered Jei was due to join them in a couple of weeks. Youji wondered how Ran would take it if he suggested for him to share Youji's room and let Jei take his room. In the long term, a similar arrangement concerning their apartments might even be workable once they returned to Tokyo and the Koneko No Sumu Ie.

Thinking about that made Youji smirk and reconsider his position on the Irishman. Weiß had little issue against Nagi joining their unit. As it turned out, he and Omi already shared a tentative camaraderie as fellow hackers. It hadn't been difficult for Omi to extend a hand of friendship to take in a roommate.

Farfarello, on the other hand was another kettle of fish since, sane or not, they were all a bit wary of the man. However, if Ran was willing to give up his apartment and stay with Youji, or vis versa... Maybe it wasn't be so bad an idea to let the man into their little family after all. What they knew of the sane man, Jei, did make them think that he'd get along with them just fine. Who knows? It might turn out that Ken, the only 'single' left in the team, could hit off with him.

/Well.../ Youji chuckled softly to himself, /that could depend on whether or not Jei was interested in soccer./

As he looked down at the quietly slumbering redhead he was cuddling so protectively, Youji wondered if he dared to hope that Ran had similar ideas. Whatever the future may hold though, Youji decided that he would let Ran set the pace. He had the patience to wait for as long as Ran needed to learn to entrust his heart to another again.

~owari~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \+ Do itashimashite = You're welcome.
> 
> Authors Note:  
> If you want to read something real in relation to the Stockholm syndrome, you can try this site on Patty Hearst at the Crime Library And Wikipedia's entry on Patty Hearst TigerM called my attention to this real case and alerted me to chilling parallels to 'Gilded Cage'. It is an eye-opening read of something that has happened in the real world.
> 
> At the time of writing, I had a couple of readers who requested that Crawford, Schuldig and Ran stay together in this fic. Sorry to disappoint the folks who liked the idea of the trio together, but the premise of the story concerned the Stockholm syndrome, so I could not do that. I hope the readers of this fic understood that Crawford and Schuldig only loved each other. They used everyone else. I had intended all along to kill them to 'free' Ran, Nagi, and Jei from the situation they were in. Hence the warnings at the onset of the story that this was a fic with 'character death'.
> 
> However, from this story, please do not take it as my opinion that abusive people deserve to die. In the flow of the story, that was how the situation happened to play out. As I have stated at the beginning of each part of this story: This is a work of fanfiction. The opinions and observations as expressed by the characters in this piece of work, should not be construed as opinions and observations shared by the author.
> 
> If you're looking for a Crawford & Schuldig x Ran piece from me, you'll have to wait until I can work on one of my 'on the drafting board' pieces.
> 
> I realise that this was a rather serious story, so I hope it wasn't too much of a chore to read. For those of you who have read this far, thanks for reading.


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